abnervaught: 'Breaking Dawn - Part 1': Everything You Need To Know

Friday, November 18, 2011

'Breaking Dawn - Part 1': Everything You Need To Know

We've been following the penultimate 'Twilight' entry for years ... and now it's finally here!
By Eric Ditzian

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in "Twilight: Breaking Dawn - Part 1"
Photo: Summit Entertainment

Well over three years after "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer exclusively told MTV News that "Breaking Dawn" should be split into two films, the first part of the vampire epic rolled into theaters Friday (November 18).

In the time since that interview, we've covered the two films exhaustively. The sheer amount of content is staggering — hours and hours of interviews, exclusive reveals of footage and photos, analysis of casting news and conversations with fans. And right here on this page you can find it all. Right here, you can find out everything there is to know about "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1":

The Split
The official announcement that "Breaking Dawn" would be split into two movies came in June 2010, shortly before "Eclipse" opened to a $64 million weekend. By then, "Dreamgirls" director Bill Condon had already bested Gus Van Sant and Sofia Coppola for the right to helm the films.

"I definitely think it was the right thing to do, for the movie and for the book," Taylor Lautner told MTV News of the split. "It's hard enough to condense 500 pages into a script, but to condense 800 and everything that's going on in 'Breaking Dawn,' it would have been impossible."

Soon, casting for the new vamps had begun, with folks like Maggie Grace, Lee Pace and Noel Fisher signing on to play bloodsuckers. Young Mackenzie Foy was picked to be Bella and Edward's daughter. Filming kicked off in Rio de Janeiro in November 2010.

The First Looks
The first peek at the movie arrived shortly thereafter — a simple shot of Kristen Stewart clutching feathers in her hand during her honeymoon. Months would go by until we actually got a look at Stewart and Pattinson in the flesh. To start the new year, Summit released a photo of the two lovebirds in bed.

"It's always awkward in a way if you're doing it with anybody," RPattz told us of the sex scene. "It really depends on how it's staged and stuff. It's like doing Twister."

During an "MTV First" with Pattinson tied to "Water for Elephants," the Brit ended up spilling tons of dirt on "Breaking Dawn" — sex scenes, musical performances and his thoughts on his movie daughter. Lautner sat down for his own "MTV First" shortly thereafter, an effort to promote "Abduction," but obviously the talk turned early and often to "Twilight."

In June came the MTV Movie Awards, and, as usual, we delivered a "Twilight" first look: this time, an exclusive trailer for "Breaking Dawn - Part 1," complete with evidence of Bella Swan's wedded bliss and baby bump. Fans were blown away, and so was Stewart, as she told us later at San Diego Comic-Con.

"I think the most surreal experience was getting married," she said. "It was right at the bitter end. I was amping up to it the entire time. They left me on my toes for six months. And then it was just sort of very cathartic to see the entire cast in the pews and everyone excited to see how it was all going to go down."

The Arrival
More footage, more posters and more photos continued to arrive. The soundtrack lineup hit the Web in September — including names like Bruno Mars, Christina Perri and Theophilus London — and the cavalcade of premieres began in October.

Before their U.S. press duties truly kicked off, we sat down with Pattinson, Stewart and Lautner for yet another "MTV First." There was talk of sex, abs and G-strings, as well as the debut of an exclusive clip. We also sat down for extended one-on-one interviews with the three actors: Pattinson discussed fulfilling sexual fantasies, Stewart confessed that the sex scene was "all close-ups," and Lautner revealed that he fought against taking his shirt off in the movie.

With just days to go until opening, we hit the "Breaking Dawn" black carpet in Los Angeles. Though all the Twi-craziness has been part of his life for years, Pattinson admitted he still can't comprehend it all. "It's like an alternate reality," he told us. "My everyday life is so boring, and then you go to these things and everyone thinks something cool is happening."

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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